Remanufacturing Research Centre

The Remanufacturing Rocket helps original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) assess their prerequisites for initiating or developing remanufacturing. The model distinguishes between necessary and supporting prerequisite factors. The necessary factors form the body of the rocket, while the supporting factors are represented by the fins that help steer the company’s remanufacturing activities in the right direction.

Source: Vogt Duberg J., Johansson G., Sundin E. and Kurilova-Palisaitiene J. (2020) Prerequisite factors for original equipment manufacturer remanufacturing, Journal of Cleaner Production, 270, 122309.

5AFIR is a five-step approach that supports original equipment manufacturers in initiating remanufacturing. The company first selects a suitable product family and identifies the actors that need to be involved. The prerequisites and the economic and environmental implications are then analysed. Based on this analysis, an industrialisation plan is developed, evaluated and refined.

Source: Vogt Duberg J., Kurilova-Palisaitiene J. and Sundin E. (2023) 5-step approach for initiating remanufacturing (5AFIR), Business Strategy and the Environment, https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3369

RIFF is a framework for implementing information feedback from remanufacturing to product design. It starts by mapping existing feedback and identifying opportunities for improvement. Feedback activities are then implemented, evaluated and further developed. The process is iterative and involves relevant actors in the value network.

Source: Lindkvist Haziri L. and Sundin E. (2020) Supporting design for remanufacturing - A framework for implementing information feedback from remanufacturing to product design, Journal of Remanufacturing, 10:57–76.

The Retained Value Hill illustrates how the value of a product changes throughout its lifecycle. Value is built up during manufacturing and then decreases during use. At the end of the first use phase, different circular strategies – such as reuse, repair or remanufacturing – can be applied to retain or recover part of the product’s value.

Source: Kurilova-Palisaitiene J., Sundin E. and Sakao T.  (2023) Orienting around circular strategies (Rs): How to reach the longest and highest ride on the Retained Value Hill?, Journal of Cleaner Production, 424, 138724.

The RemPro Matrix helps remanufacturers and product designers identify the product properties required for an efficient remanufacturing process. The remanufacturer specifies the requirements in the matrix, which can then be used in the product design process to develop products that are better suited for resource-efficient remanufacturing.

Source: Sundin E. and Bras B. (2005) Making Functional Sales Environmentally and Economically Beneficial through Product Remanufacturing. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 13, Issue 9, pp 913-925.

REMOMETER is a tool for assessing a company’s readiness and maturity for remanufacturing and the potential benefits it can provide. The tool considers four areas: the business model, production system, product design and customer relations.

The assessment consists of four steps: defining the product’s suitability for remanufacturing, measuring the manufacturer’s Remanufacturing Readiness Level (RRL) using the RRL Matrix, estimating the socio-economic and environmental benefits of remanufacturing, and developing an action plan for implementation or further development of remanufacturing.